EFFORT OF THE COMMAND IN PROTECTING LIVES AND PROPERTY- CP HAMMED ILIYASU COMMISSIONER OF POLICE OGUN STATE

In our Exclusive Interview, we caught up with veteran Officer, Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, CP Hammed Iliyasu, on the efforts of the command in protecting lives and property in the State.

Read the excerpt below;CRIME FIGHTERS: The year 2016 is running to an end how will you asses the security situation in Ogun State?

CP HAMMED ILIYASU: So far so good we are on top of various situation as far as crime and criminality is concerned in Ogun State. Ogun State in South West as it is known as Gateway State is quite safe and secure and we have recorded lot of successes and achievements in crime fighting.

CRIME FIGHTERS: From your assessment of the level of crime in Ogun State what criminal incident has been more preponderant or recurrent, why you do think this particular crime has been most pervasive?

CP HAMMED ILIYASU: as far as our strategy and plans are concern, to be sincere I would even mention the particular crime that is causing any problem to us because we have been reversing the situation and we have been checkmating the situation. And most of this crimes particular Cultism, arm robbery are receding, they are quite receding and taking backslide. That is so far the statement I can make. The trend of this violent crimes because of the strategies we have put in place, they are quite receding and backsliding to the extent that Ogun State has become a safe haven for investors and a very peaceful State where people now partake their social activities beyond the normal time that they go back to their house in the night safely.

CRIME FIGHTERS: What are the factors that motivate people to commit crime?

CP HAMMED ILIYASU: This are sociological issues, this are sociological analyses, and they have to do with the history of Society, crime; right from the primitive period to reformation period, renaissance, when you look at the history of the world ,historiography you find out that there is no Society that is crime free, that is a utopia Society, that is an ideal Society but there are some other factors, since crime is an issue of the Society there are some other factors like social factors, economy factors, in line with some sociological and psychological theories that some people are born criminals but some when you look at the environment, there are some environmental influence, some people want to live a standard that they cannot afford and as such they have to go into crime in order to satisfy such feelings, it is as a result of social and economy factors.

CRIME FIGHTERS: The Yuletide period is fast approaching and there are speculations that crimes are mostly perpetrated in this period of the year what are the measures put in place by your Command to curtain any criminal act?

CP HAMMED ILIYASU: Well, for any planner and for any crime strategist you don’t out rightly discussed your strategies because they are the tools you have in fighting this criminality and as such the assessment that I will give you is that we call these months September, October, November and December, we call it Ember months and beyond, so far so good Ember months right from September to date; as I am speaking with you Ogun State has been very calm and quite, all major ceremonies, activities preceding the Yuletide period has been very peaceful, people have been carrying out their social gatherings, parties, celebration without any alert or hindrances, so it has been very successful.

CRIME FIGHTERS: How can we minimize this crime in our Society?

CP HAMMED ILIYASU: People have to sanitize themselves, first you have to sanitize yourself, you have to change your attitude and values. That is where the core value of the Society comes into and if you want to see that change in the Society it has to start with you. Change begins with you and that is why we are here, we are doing everything possible to change the face of policing and that is what we will continue to do.